New officers and directors at Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce Board

Members of the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce recently elected an all-female executive team to lead the board of directors. The MNHCoC elected officers for the coming year in addition to welcoming three new members to serve on the board.

The all-wahine executive team includes president Doreen Pua Canto; vice president Teri Freitas Gorman; treasurer Shirley Blackburn; and secretary Sharron Joseph. Members also welcomed new board members Lui Hokoana, Mahina Martin, and Boyd Mossman who join the current slate of board members at large including past president Kai Pelayo, Randy Piltz, Paul Mancini, Mercer “Chubby” Vicens, Ron Vaught, James JC “Jimmy” Haynes, and Paul Mancini.

The new officers, including President Doreen Pua Canto, bring a wealth of community service experience to the Chamber. In addition to leading the MNHCoC, Canto is president of the Kula Community association while serving the State of Hawaii as a Hawaiian Homes commissioner and the County of Maui as a commissioner for the Department of Fire and Public Safety. The Kula resident is a graduate of Phoenix University and is employed by Pelekana Permits.

Vice President Teri Freitas Gorman has been self-employed since 2009 providing communications and community relations counsel to clients statewide. She is also a managing member of E Ola Pono, LLC a Maui-based consulting company specializing in Hawaiian cultural training and education for the visitor industry. Gorman is a graduate of UCLA and resides in lower Kula.

Treasurer Shirley Blackburn is co-owner of Maui Land Broker & Property Management, Inc., provider of financial services, rental property management and real estate sales for six-planned community homeowners associations. She is a strong advocate for the Maui Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity. The Oahu native now lives in Wailuku.

Secretary Sharron Joseph has lived on Maui since 1969. She currently serves as the Purchasing Assistant for Hale Makua Health Services in Wailuku. Joseph also serves as vice president for the board of directors of Hālau Kealaokamaile. Joseph is a Kula resident.

New board member Dr. Lui Hokoana has served as the chancellor and chief executive officer of UH Maui College since December of 2014. A Maui native, he worked his way up through the UH system, directing various programs at UH Maui College before taking on greater responsibility on Oahu as vice chancellor for student affairs at the UH West Oahu campus. Hokoana earned a Doctorate of Education degree from the University of Southern California, a Master’s Degree in communications from UH Mānoa and a Bachelor’s Degree in political science from UH Hilo. He is a resident of Kula.

Board member Mahina Martin is the director of government and community relations for Maui Electric Company in Kahului. She previously held a similar position with the County of Maui. Martin is also the race director for Maui Interscholastic League Canoe Paddling. She lives in Wailuku.

Retired Judge Boyd Mossman recently returned to Maui from Hawaii Island after serving three years as Temple President of the Kona Hawaii Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is a founding member of the MNHCoC board and served as President of the organization’s first board in 2005. Boyd received his Bachelor of Science degree from the US Air Force Academy and his Juris Doctorate from George Washington University School of Law. He lives in Makawao.

“We are honored that a retired judge, a college chancellor, and a corporate executive, each of Native Hawaiian ancestry, have joined our hard-working board,” said new president Canto. “This year our annual Business Fest will surprise and delight our members as well as the community at large and we are so fortunate to have this caliber of talent to draw upon.”

The newly installed board will gather next month for a strategic planning retreat hosted by Lumeria in Makawao and led by Leslie Mullens of Playbook Consulting Group. The all-volunteer Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce relies on community support to advance its mission, “to promote and sustain Hawaiian values and culture, and enhance the socio-economic status of Native Hawaiians in business and as individuals.”

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in perpetuating the spirit of Aloha through commerce, culture and community. The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce welcomes Hawaiians and Hawaiians at Heart to share in their mission. For more information visit Mnhcoc.org.